Newspaper Page Text
Volume 110 No. 101
Pilot International Week
Mayor Bill Dobbs looks over a proclamation establishing the
week of Oct. 18 as Pilot International Week in Covington. Found
ed in Macon, Ga. on Oct. 18, 1921, Pilot International is one of
five service clubs for women in the United States and abroad.
Shown with the mayor are (l-r( Miss Ruth Parker, Outreach coor
dinator for the Pilot Club of Covington, and Miss Grace Cook,
club president. The next regular meeting of the local Pilot Club
will be held Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kuntry Kettle.
Commissioners set fees for
commercial garbage haulers
By Greg Jones
News editor
The Newton County Board of
Commissioners voted Tuesday to
begin charging set fees for
commercial haulers who use the
county landfill on Lackey Road.
On a motion by Commissioner
Billy Strickland, the following fee
system was installed on a ten
tative basis: S2O per load for
large tandem-axle trucks... sls
per load and one-and-a-half ton
or larger single axle trucks with
compactors... $5 per load for one
and-a-half ton trucks without
compactors... and $3 per load for
pickup trucks.
The commissioners pointed out
that the fees apply only to
municipalities in the county who
use the landfill and to others who
haul on a commercial basis.
Individual citizens who haul their
own garbage will not be affected.
Personnel matters in the tax
office were brought up once
again, with the board meeting
with Tax Commissioner Bonham
Johnson in an executive session
to discuss specific personnel
problems. Afterwards several
checks which had not been
handed to tax office employees
last week were approved, with
one check modified to deduct an
apparent erroneous payment of
vacation pay. Commissioner
Nelson Allen stated that he
signed seven tax office checks last
Senator Ballard to discuss
Constitutional amendments
Guest speaker at the regular
weekly meeting of the Covington
Kiwanis Club Thursday will be
State Sen. W. D. I Donald I
Ballard. Sen. Ballard will discuss
the Freeport Amendment and
other Constitutional Amendments
to be voted on in the November
2 general election.
Kiwanian Frank Turner is the
program chairman for the week
and he will introduce Mr.
Ballard. Kiwanis now meets at
the Crest Restaurant at 1 p.m.
^Tiiinnton JJeiuh
Saturday as authorized by the
board but said all the checks
were apparently not delivered.
The vote to approve those checks
tax office employees had not
received was three to two, with
Commissioners Morgan, Capes
ard Strickland voting for approv
al and Commissioners Allen and
Walker voting against.
Commissioner Capes also made
public for inclusion in the
minutes of the meeting figures
showing the Rockdale County
Tax office employs four full-time
and three part-time employees.
The figures also showed the
office, which sends out bills twice
a year, has collected 98 percent
of the county's 1974 taxes and
95 percent of the 1975 taxes.
The commissioners said that as
far as they were concerned, the
tax office matter was closed, and
said each employee in the office
should be told, specifically, not to
expect any more or any less
money than had been earlier
approved by the commission.
County ambulance service
employee Rick Hill came before
the board to ask that ambulance
service personnel be granted pay
raises similar to those received by
other county employees this year.
He pointed out that ambulance
service workers have not received
a raise in four years. The
commissioners said they would
take the matter into considera
tion.
Sen. Ballard represents the 45th
Senatorial District in Georgia
which includes his native Newton
County. He has served in the
Georgia General Assembly since
1956 when he was elected as
Newton County representative in
the lower house. When Sen.
Brooks Pennington decided to
retire from the 45th Senate post
Ballard was elected.
There are 28 amendments on
the November ballot.
4 Prize-Binning Veics/wi/»er, Serving Newton County For 110 Years
Covington, Georgia — Thursday, October 21,1976
Hospital budget at $3,105,201;
rates to increase $8 in January
Treasurer Herbert Vining of the
Newton County Hospital Auth
ority presented a hospital budget
of $3,105,201, for operation
during 1977, at Monday's board
meeting. The biggest increase
projected in the budget was a 21
percent utility increase.
In order to meet the budget,
room rates at Newton County
Hospital will be increased SB.OO
per day effective Jan. 1, 1977.
This increase, which will bring
private room rates locally to SSB
per day, and semi-private to an
average $53 daily, is still far
below room rates in other
hospitals in the surrounding area.
A review of the September
financial showed a loss for the
month of $31,891.62, with an
average daily patient census of
39. Administrator Bob Mitcham
said that the census of patients
during October should rise to
about 45 patients per day, and
he was hopeful of seeing the
operation around a break-even
point this month.
“We normally figure that we
need a census of patients of
about 55 per day in order to
operate in the black," Mitcham
said Wednesday morning.
Samuel Moyer, hospital comp
troller, reported that he had
investigated using the new Small
Claims Court to collect past due
accounts. Accounts collected
through the court would cost
On a related matter, ambulance
service director Billy Jones was
instructed to check into the hiring
of a bookkeeper to collect back
bills and mail out current bills
for the ambulance service. Jones
said some SBI,OOO in outstanding
bills is owed the emergency medi
cal service. He said bookkeeping
is now done by an EMT working
on an overtime basis.
The commissioners also heard
from E. E. “Buck" Callaway of
the Newton County Library
Board, who reported that the old
postal facility on Monticello
Street will soon be turned over to
the county for use as a library.
He said about $25,000 a year
will be required to operate the
facility and pointed out that no
county funds had been budgeted
for the 1977 fiscal year. He was
instructed to meet with Covington
city officials and the Board of
Education to try to work out a
joint agreement among them and
the county to provide the money.
The commissioners voted ap
proval of paving about 2000 feet
of old Highway 81, with property
owner Bill Ballenger sharing in
the cost. Ballenger said he plans
a subdivision for the area.
They also voted to make the
paving of East End Road the top
item on the priority list of county
roads to be paved. Commissioner
Walker stated that a defective
bridge on the road should also be
replaced.
The following rezoning requests
were also approved: Property of
Ronnie and Margaret Dimsdale
on Salem Road from R-l to C-l
for the purpose of establishing a
barber shop; property of T. H.
Bailey at Highway 142 and Dixie
Road from A to R-l for con
struction of the Oakridge subdivi
sion; and property of John Gooly
at Lackey and Henderson Mill
roads from A to R-l for con
struction of the River Mist subdi
vision.
The board instructed Thurmond
Ellington, county tax appraiser, to
write letters to property owners
whose property had been brought
from Rockdale into Newton
County by a new designation of
the county line that their tax lia
bilities now lie in Newton
County.
patients $25 in court cost phis
their overdue bill. The authority
instructed Moyer to proceed with
the court action to collect past
due accounts.
Hospital Authority Chairman S.
A. Ginn and Mitcham reported
that the Newton County Board of
Commissioners had not agreed to
the authority’s request for a one
half mill tax levy to support the
hospital. The commissioners have
allocated $25,000, a little less
than one-quarter mill, for the
hospital operation through June,
1977. The commissioners told
authority representatives that
there would be a review of the
hospital needs after that date.
Mark Blum and Ray Pinkerton
met with the authority to discuss
the operation of an ambulance
service in Newton County. The
men have previously met with the
county commissioners to explain
their plans. Their firm, Medic-
(Please turn to page 3A)
Covington council adopts
Standard Housing Code
Covington City Council members
took final action Monday night
on an ordinance adopting the
Southern Standard Housing Code
for Covington. The code esta
blishes minimum standards
governing use, occupancy, and
maintenance of dwellings,
dwelling units and accessory
structures.
The standards also govern
supplied utilities and facilities,
and other physical things and
conditions essential to make
dwelling safe, sanitary and fit for
human habitation. It establishes
minimum standards governing the
condition and maintenance of
dwellings and accessory structures,
and fixes certain responsibilities
and duties of owners and occu
pants of dwellings.
The code creates a housing
board of adjustments and appeals
and fixes the duties and responsi
bilities thereof; authorizes the
inspection of dwellings and ac
cessory structures; and provides
for the condemnation of all
buildings and structures unfit for
human habitation and use. Also
spelled out are the penalties for
NCCHS observes Lunchroom Week
Special decorations in the Newton County Com
prehensive High School lunchroom were design
ed and put up by members of the Human
Machines Class for the observance of National
Lunchroom Week last week. Shown with students
3 Sections
Small Claims Court
now in operation
The Small Claims Court of Newton County is now in opera
tion with offices in the county courthouse. The court was
created by legislation authored and introduced by State
Representative Bobby Sigman and backed by State Senator
Don Ballard in the 1976 legislative session.
The Small Claims Court will have jurisdiction over civil
cases from SI.OO to $1,500. The law establishes a simplified
method for an individual to file a short statement of claim to
bring a justly owed debt before the court for a hearing.
John Crosswell of Pickett Bridge Road, Covington, serves as
judge of the court, having been appointed to the position by
Gov. George Busbee.
Additional information concerning the court may be obtained
by calling the court office at 787-2170.
violations.
The council approved the low
bid of State Wide Piping, Inc.
for the Pace street water system
extension in the amount of
$29,106.71. The project, recom
mended by Welker <S Associates,
engineers, will be funded by the
1959 Water A Sewer Renewal <*i
Extension Fund.
Payment was approved for a
statement from Municipal Electric
Doctor to speak on mammography
Dr. Edgar Grady, a cancer re
search specialist and a practicing
surgeon in this field, will speak
on The Merits of Mammography,
at the City Hall Courtroom,
Wednesday night, October 27th
at 7:30 p.m. The Covington Ser
vice Guild and The Newton Unit
of the American Cancer Society
are sponsoring this event.
Dr. Grady heads the Georgia
Tech Nuclear Research Lab and
works continuously in cancer
research. He has recently attend
ed the National Cancer Institute
are: Mrs. Huie Moore, lunchroom manager; Mrs.
Jerry Aldridge, teacher of the Human Machines
Class; Risa Rogers, Scott Few, Ewnie Darby, and
Billy Gunter.
Fifteen Cents
Authority of Georgia for the
city's entitlement share in
the amount of $6,527.50. The
funds will be reimbursed to the
city upon the sale of the initial
bonds by the Municipal Electric
Authority of Georgia.
A low bid was accepted from
Standard Register Co. in the
amount of $1,979, for a bursting
(Please turn to page 3A)
Research Seminar where mammo
graphy was a major topic.
The Covington Service Guild
and the Newton Cancer Unit
present this program in an effort
to answer the questions raised in
recent months on the safety of
mammography. Leaders both
organizations are gratified to
present a man of such stature in
the field of Cancer.
All interested Newton ladies
along with friends from Walton
and Rockdale counties are urged
to attend.
